Is Saudi Arabia Immune From Protests?

Ever since King Abdullah returned to Saudi Arabia last week, Saudi activists and intellectuals have pressed, using three
separate petitions as well as various Facebook groups,
for a constitutional monarchy and called for street protests. Although
still unconfirmed, there have even been reports
of an online activist being shot and killed as a result of his commitment to starting such protests. While King Abdullah has
initiated some changes in the country's education and justice systems
and given the Saudi press greater latitude, he has not
ventured into the sensitive arena of political reform. According to Caryle Murphy, it seems unlikely that these protests will eventually materialize for several reasons:

Such demonstrations are illegal in the kingdom, and Saudi culture is strongly against public displays of civil disobedience.

In
addition, there is no evidence that the petitions or the protest calls
have widespread national support. Rather, they appear to be most
representative of a growing slice of Saudi society that is politically
restive but not yet organized for mass action.

There is also the economic factor:

The
demands for political reforms also follow a huge package of economic
benefits, estimated between $30 to $36 billion, that was unveiled Feb.
23 to mark the king's return that day from his three-month absence
abroad for medical treatment.

The package includes unemployment
insurance for the first time, increases in welfare payments for poor
households, funds to alleviate a severe shortage of affordable housing,
millions for charities, sports and cultural clubs, as well as the
release of thousands of prisoners who had failed to pay debts.

While
government officials said the economic package has been in the works
for some time, many Saudis and other observers interpreted it as an
effort to defuse discontent and forestall mass political protests like
those elsewhere.